


Goals

by Marie_Tomas



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Affection, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Established Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Humor, James Ships It, Light Angst, Love, Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Marauders' Era, Matchmaking, Minor James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Multi, POV James Potter, Remus Lupin & James Potter Friendship, Romance, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-26 01:13:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16209575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie_Tomas/pseuds/Marie_Tomas
Summary: Of all the relationships that he knew of in the wizarding world, secretly, James Potter hoped that his future relationship would be just like the one that Remus and Sirius shared.





	Goals

**Author's Note:**

> I remember reading a Wolfstar headcanon about Remus and Sirius sharing affection as a couple while they casually talked about Quidditch with James, and the whole idea for this fan-fiction sort of started from there.
> 
> It's kind of a snapshot into a brief time period in the Marauder's seventh year at Hogwarts, seen through James's eyes as he prepares for his first Quidditch match of the term. Based on the premise that James was a Chaser, although I know this idea is still disputed.
> 
> Also based on the headcanon that James would be Remus and Sirius's biggest supporter. :)
> 
> ***  
> One of my lovely readers, CathyM, has sketched an adorable picture based on this fan-fiction. It can be found on the following link: https://i.imgur.com/Rao10fA.jpg, or through the ao3 link on the end notes of this story. I recommend checking out her fanart on ao3 based on several fan-fictions! :)

Of all the relationships that he knew of in the wizarding world, including those that he'd heard about between famous Quidditch players, well-known Aurors, singers in popular wizard bands, and not to mention all the relationships that were currently going on at Hogwarts in his seventh year at the school, secretly, James Potter hoped that  _his_  future relationship would be just like the one that Remus and Sirius shared.

He knew that most students at Hogwarts would think that this was a bit strange if they found out that he felt like this, and it wasn't like James had even thought very much about relationships between two male students at Hogwarts before two of his best friends had started going out with each other, but James didn't care: as far as he was concerned, Sirius and Remus had the perfect relationship, and he wanted a relationship that was as loving as theirs. Perhaps it really would happen for him, one day, when Lily finally realised that she was in fact madly in love with him and that he wasn't such an arrogant prat after all.

James was thinking about all this one evening in the middle of winter in seventh year, as he relaxed in an armchair by the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, sitting opposite his two friends, who were cuddled up close together in another armchair by the fire, with Remus practically sitting in Sirius's lap, the two of them somehow managing to take part in a serious discussion with James about Quidditch tactics while also sharing all of their affectionate gestures, with Sirius running his fingers gently up and down Remus's arms, and Remus playing with a few stray strands of Sirius's hair, the two of them looking so happy, so in love.

The Quidditch match would be James's first as team captain, and he couldn't help feeling the pressure to win as a result. For weeks, he'd been booking extra training sessions, as well as going over tactics and strategy to the point of obsession with all of his friends. Right now, he really needed something better than Remus's most recent suggestion that he should read  _Quidditch Through the Ages_.

He was so worried about Quidditch that he almost wasn't allowing himself to get distracted by the fact that Lily was sitting a few feet away from the three of them, deep in conversation with her friends and looking especially beautiful this evening wearing a Gryffindor jumper, her long, red hair flowing loosely over her shoulders. Almost.

"Hey, Prongsy," Sirius suddenly chimed into the discussion, after he'd kissed Remus on the cheek, "have you ever thought about just getting hold of the Quaffle and scoring as many goals as possible?"

Sirius's smirk was definitely a mocking one as he finished his sentence.

"Funny," James retorted, his tone of voice just as sarcastic as Sirius's had been, "I'd never even thought about that, you prat!" With that, he picked up the nearest cushion from the armchair and aimed it right at his best friend's head.

Just before the cushion could hit Sirius, Remus reached out his hand and grabbed hold of it in what was a surprisingly good catch.

"My hero!" Sirius pretended to swoon as he placed his hand over his heart and grinned at his boyfriend. And then they were snogging.

James made a big show of sighing and rolling his eyes and telling them to get a room, but still he couldn't help smiling affectionately at the two of them before he turned to look at the flames dancing in the fireplace, giving them a bit of privacy.

As he stared at the flames, his thoughts drifted to the evening of the first of September, when Lily had ended up sharing one of the stagecoaches heading up to school with James, Remus and Sirius after she'd got into an argument with Snape on the platform at Hogsmeade station and stormed away from him.

After a long journey on the Hogwarts Express with all of the Marauders sitting together, and regular visits to their compartment from Frank, Alice, Marlene and even Lily, Sirius and Remus hadn't had much time for physical affection along the way, so, as soon as they'd climbed into the carriage next to one another, Sirius had instantly pulled Remus in close, and they'd started to share a few kisses.

Their kissing and hugging and hand-holding had served as an awkward contrast to James and Lily, who had been sitting opposite them with their arms folded, as far apart as possible from each other and still sharing the occasional glare after an argument of their own on the Hogwarts Express.

"That could be us, Evans," James had been unable to resist muttering to Lily as he nodded his head significantly in Remus and Sirius's direction before he raised his eyebrows at her.

"It's a pity you're such an arrogant prat then, isn't it?" Lily had instantly retorted right back at him as the carriage continued its slow journey towards the castle on that cold evening.

James had simply sighed to himself, deciding at the time that he and Lily definitely still had a long way to go before there was even a chance of any kind of snogging happening between them.

"You know, James, all it takes is a little bit of practice…"

Remus's words snapped James out of his thoughts. Apparently his two friends wanted to return to discussing Quidditch tactics now that they had finished snogging.

James jumped back into the discussion eagerly, playfully grinning and rolling his eyes as the two boys continued to hold each other close.

* * *

The next morning, James had already spent the first half of Potions class sketching out a detailed diagram of the Quidditch pitch and all of the players that would be taking part in the upcoming match, with a little help from Sirius.

However, he'd eventually been distracted from his diagram by getting into one of his 'parchment wars' with Lily Evans, in which the two of them typically sent insulting notes and pictures to one another on spare bits of parchment whenever they had classes together.

James smirked to himself as he completed a sketch of Professor Slughorn, surrounded by all of his favourite students, Lily included.

Then, an ingenious idea hit him-he couldn't believe that he'd never thought of it before. He scribbled the words ' _The Slug Club'_  across the top of the piece of parchment, feeling proud of himself for coming up with such a clever name. He'd definitely be referring to that title in future arguments and banter sessions with Lily.

The moment he levitated the note over towards Lily, James turned a little in his seat to see what Sirius was up to. Apparently, Sirius had been working on a sketch of his own, although this one was a lot more detailed, a lot more beautiful. It was a picture of a dog and a wolf, standing together out in the wilderness, with a backdrop of a forest behind them.

James knew that Sirius would give this picture to Remus later (who was currently so wrapped up in actually  _doing his Potions work_  that he hadn't even noticed what Sirius was up to), and Remus would love it, and he would insist that he would keep it forever, the way he did with every other gift that Sirius gave him.

A couple of Sirius's sketches had been displayed over Remus's bed, but most of them ended up in the book that Remus had originally used as a photo album for all of his pictures of the Marauders since James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had become friends in first year. Now, the book contained not only moving photographs and enchanted sketches, but also several love letters that the two boys had written for one another since they became a couple-not that James had secretly been looking through the book, or anything.

For a few moments, James thought about how nice it would be to be able to draw beautiful pictures to give as a gift to one's girlfriend-or boyfriend, in Sirius and Remus's case, but then, a bit of parchment folded into the shape of a paper crane landed on his desk. James opened up the note only to see a sketch that Lily had drawn of him, practically falling off his broom as he flew above the Quidditch pitch, his hair a mess in the picture and his glasses askew as his arms and legs flailed wildly.

With another sigh, James reached the silent conclusion that maybe he and Lily weren't quite  _there_ yet when it came to drawing romantic sketches.

* * *

That same evening, James sat down on one of the sofas in the Gryffindor common room with Sirius, all talk of Quidditch tactics temporarily forgotten as they began discussing their plans for an end of term practical joke. Christmas was fast approaching, and James knew that their fellow Gryffindors would be expecting something spectacular from James and Sirius when it came to the last practical joke before the holidays.

With the Marauder's Map and a few bags full of Zonko's items spread out on the table in front of them, James and Sirius ran through a few of the ideas that they'd already come up with, namely the possibility of setting off indoor fireworks, and trying to borrow a Niffler from Professor Kettleburn, and maybe even enlisting Peeves the Poltergeist to assist them with this upcoming prank, but then they were interrupted by the arrival of Peter and Remus, who'd just stepped through the portrait hole with their arms full of food.

As Peter settled into an armchair on the other side of the common room, already taking bites out of a slice of cake, Remus ran over to James and Sirius.

James felt a brief flicker of disappointment as he wondered if his discussion with Sirius about practical jokes would now have to come to an end, but Remus simply handed a cupcake each to James and Sirius, gave Sirius a brief kiss on the lips and muttered, "the house-elves send their best wishes," before he headed off to join Peter on the other side of the common room, leaving James and Sirius alone with their plans.

Sirius went a little bit pink as he stared at his own cupcake, which Remus seemed to have transfigured into the shape of a heart at some point during his journey upstairs from the school kitchens.

As Sirius smiled, James rolled his eyes, but secretly, he thought that it was kind of sweet that Remus could make his boyfriend smile like that.

" _I_  could bring cupcakes back from the kitchens for Evans, if she wanted me to," James mumbled, almost to himself, as Lily walked past them with Alice and Marlene.

"Less sulking, more planning, Jamesey," Sirius told him firmly, as though  _he_ hadn't been staring at his cupcake and smiling at it like a Hufflepuff for the past couple of minutes.

* * *

The following evening, James slowly climbed the stairs leading up to the boys' dormitory, carrying Remus on his back.

He'd stayed up late with Remus in the common room, as Remus had been nagging him for days about getting his Charms essay finished. James had tried to put if off for as long as possible, complaining that he had much more important things to focus on at the moment, namely the upcoming Quidditch match, and also asking Remus why he couldn't just copy  _his_ essay, but as usual, Remus wasn't having any of it.

So, James had given in and sat with Remus in the common room for the whole evening, trying to keep his complaining to a minimum as Remus helped him with his essay.

As the full moon was approaching, however, Remus must have been more stressed out and exhausted than he'd let on, because he'd drifted off to sleep at some point while James had been writing his conclusion.

And so James had decided to be a good friend and carry Remus upstairs to the dormitory instead of waking him up.

As soon as he gently pushed the dormitory door open, James caught sight of Peter, who was already snoring in his bed, and Sirius, who was still wide awake and seemed almost to be striking a pose as he sat on his bed and stared into his mirror, which he always kept on his bedside cabinet, apparently admiring his own reflection.

All thoughts of mirrors and posing seemed to go out the window however when he caught sight of James carrying a half-asleep Remus on his back and an expression of concern crossed his face. Only Remus seemed to be able to bring out Sirius's gentler, more caring side.

"Present for you," James whispered to Sirius with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood, as he walked right past Remus's bed so that he could bring Remus over to Sirius, who was already reaching out his arms to take hold of his boyfriend.

Remus had been having lots of nightmares lately, and James decided that he might prefer not to sleep alone tonight.

Still half-asleep, Remus went willingly into Sirius's arms, like he belonged there, wrapping his left arm around Sirius's waist and nuzzling into his neck as Sirius held him tight.

"Best present ever," Sirius muttered with an affectionate grin, before he placed a kiss to Remus's forehead.

"You two can keep talking, you know," Remus suddenly whispered into the darkness as James attempted to change into his pyjamas in total silence. "It relaxes me, listening to you prats talking…"

James felt a rush of affection for his friend as he and Sirius discreetly shared a smirk at Remus's words. James had sensed, during Moony's full moon transformations, that their presence was a source of comfort to Remus, but he hadn't realised that this was the case when they were all in their more regular 'human form' too. Perhaps the sound of their voices served as a reminder to Remus that all of his friends were around him, safe.

And so James and Sirius fell into a whispered conversation across the dormitory about pranks and Quidditch and James's attempts to woo Lily Evans, while James tried to get comfortable in his bed and Sirius continued to cuddle with Remus.

James almost felt a bit lonely, sitting all alone in his empty bed while Sirius and Remus held each other tightly on the other side of the room and Sirius whispered, "My Moony," several times as he stroked Remus's hair, but it was impossible to feel jealous, not when he cared about Remus and Sirius so much, and the two of them looked so  _happy_ together. They both  _deserved_ to be happy, after everything they'd gone through over the years.

* * *

After the full moon, James had feared that Remus would end up having to spend a few days in the hospital wing, but today, it wasn't Remus who had ended up there. No, on this particular Friday afternoon, the Marauders were gathered in the hospital wing to visit  _Sirius_ , not Remus.

James really didn't think that Sirius's injuries were that bad-he'd only fallen down a few stairs after one of his latest practical jokes had gone a bit wrong and a few spells had backfired. They really hadn't needed a lecture from McGonagall about how she'd expected better of Sirius Black, now that he was in seventh year, and Madam Pomfrey's fussing had definitely been over the top, but still, Sirius was milking the situation for all it was worth, no doubt because his boyfriend was here.

"Does it hurt terribly, Sirius?" Remus asked, his voice full of concern as he adjusted Sirius's pillows for the tenth time and then ran a hand through his boyfriend's hair.

Privately, James thought it was a bit ridiculous that  _Remus_ , who was currently looking very pale and had a few new scratches across his face, was so worried about someone who'd 'somehow' still been able to fix his hair and look in his mirror and take a photograph of himself from his hospital bed.

"Oh, yeah, loads, Remy," Sirius replied unconvincingly, making sure to smirk and wink at James the moment Remus looked away from him.

With a worried-looking frown, Remus moved even closer to Sirius, running his hands soothingly up and down Sirius's arms and kissing him several times on the forehead, and James suspected that not only was Sirius enjoying all the attention, but Remus was also enjoying playing along, so that he had an excuse to take care of Sirius.

James might have shared a look of exasperation with Peter, but still, he couldn't really blame Sirius for taking advantage of the situation-he was sure that  _he_  would have done the same thing, if Lily Evans had been crying over  _his_ hospital bed.

* * *

That same night, James swore loudly as he climbed through the portrait hole, dripping mud everywhere as he went.

It had seemed like a good idea earlier in the afternoon to call an impromptu Quidditch practice, but now, as every tired muscle in his body seemed to groan in protest with each step he took, he was really starting to regret his decision.

He took a few more steps into the common room, looking forward to finding his friends and complaining loudly about all the pressure he was under to win the match, hopefully with all of them listening attentively to his mumbling and grumbling, and then he would probably collapse into his bed and fall asleep.

As he got closer to the nearest sofa, however, he noticed that Remus and Sirius must have fallen asleep together at some point during the evening, because they were cuddled up on the sofa, both of them wearing matching Gryffindor jumpers over their pyjamas (with Sirius wearing his best silk pyjamas, of course). Remus was holding Sirius this time, and his hand was still gently stroking Sirius's hair, even as he slept.

Sirius hardly ever let himself be vulnerable like that: he didn't really allow people to hold him or protect him, but apparently, he was making an exception for Remus.

Unable to help himself, James felt a grin creep slowly to his face, all complaints about Quidditch training momentarily forgotten as he watched his friends with a smile, placing his hand over his heart as he thought about how amazing it was that the two of them had finally become a couple last year, how perfect they were for one another…

A gentle coughing sound pulled James out of his romantic thoughts.

With a start, he turned around to see that Lily Evans, of all people, was standing right behind him with her arms folded and her eyebrows raised. She must have been hiding away in a chair on the other side of the common room the whole time.

Fighting off the urge to blush, James gave a deep cough of his own to cover his embarrassment as he fidgeted on the spot and tried to straighten up a little.

"Er, yeah, so…" he mumbled, running a hand awkwardly through his hair and trying desperately to come up with some excuse as to why he'd just been staring at his friends with his hand over his heart.

"I think it's sort of sweet," Lily cut him off before he could say anything else, her tone of voice surprisingly gentle, for a change, "how you're so happy that your friends are together…"

Then, she actually gave him a rare half-smile before she hurriedly turned away from him and practically ran up the stairs leading to her dormitory, leaving James to stare after her, his mouth open and his eyes wide in shock.

* * *

Of course, Sirius made a 'miraculous recovery' from his 'injuries' and he seemed to be perfectly happy the following morning as the Marauders headed into Hogsmeade.

"Butterbeers are on me today!" James shouted confidently as he strode ahead of Sirius on their way to the Three Broomsticks after their visit to Zonko's.

As he walked, he loosened the buttons of his cloak and shirt a little (trying not to shiver in the cold) and attempted to fix his hair. He even tried to turn his walk into a swagger as he got closer to the pub. He was hoping to 'turn on the charm' so that he could flirt confidently with the barmaids at the Three Broomsticks, in the hope that the Marauders would be provided with free Butterbeers as a result.

As much as he liked getting free Butterbeers for his friends, James also like the reassurance that his flirtation techniques actually worked, especially as the girl who he was in love with seemed to be completely immune to his charms.

"In your dreams, Prongsy!" Sirius called out as he swaggered past him. "You know the barmaids prefer  _my_  subtle flirting and stunning good looks!"

"Whatever, you idiot!" James laughed at him. The two of them had always treated flirting with pretty witches as some sort of competition. So much so that it had taken years before James had understood that Sirius never took any of his flirting with girls well, seriously. He was in it entirely for the free food and drink, and all the other material benefits that being handsome always brought.

"If the barmaids at the Three Broomsticks had  _any_  sense-"

They were suddenly cut off from their playful argument as Remus approached them, carrying several Honeydukes bags...

"-they'd avoid  _both_  of you."

Remus grinned a little as he finished speaking, like he was amused by his own joke.

Surprisingly, Remus never seemed to mind all of Sirius's flirting in Hogsmeade. He seemed to know that it was all a show, an act, a performance he put on for the benefit of those in the wizarding world who expected him to behave that way. Still, that didn't stop him from mocking James and Sirius about it at every opportunity.

"Yeah, well, it's a good job for me that  _you've_  decided to throw all sense out of the window then, isn't it, Moony?" Sirius told him with a smirk and a wink and what might even have been a leer before they all entered the pub, with Peter not far behind them.

This time, James just knew that there was actual meaning, actual intent behind Sirius's flirting, especially as Remus blushed bright red and smiled a little, looking very pleased with himself.

After being given a few discounted Butterbeers in what had been a combined effort from James and Sirius, the four of them sat at their usual table, laughing and joking and playfully insulting one another, as well as talking about everything that had been going on at Hogwarts since the start of term.

As Sirius, Remus and Peter started playfully gossiping about a few of the Hogwarts professors who they believed to be secretly going out with one another (honestly, after today, James would  _never_ be able to get an image of Sprout and Flitwick out his head, thanks to a couple of crude jokes from Sirius and Peter), James thought about how worried he'd been when Remus and Sirius first got together in sixth year: he'd worried that the relationship would affect James's friendship with Sirius, somehow, or that Remus and Sirius would separate themselves from the group, or even worse, that they would split up, and stop speaking to each other as a result…

But now, James knew that he'd worried for nothing. Not only were Remus and Sirius happier than ever, but their relationship hadn't affected the dynamic in the group at all: they were still all sitting together at the Three Broomsticks on a Saturday afternoon, the way they had done since third year, four best friends together.

As far as James was concerned,  _nothing_ would ever get between the four of them.

* * *

The four of them were in high spirits when they left the Three Broomsticks. As they headed back towards the castle, James shared a few jokes with Peter about Snivellus while Sirius pulled Remus in close to him as they walked, before he wrapped an arm around him, holding him tight as though trying to protect him from the cold, and the snow that was starting to fall. Sometimes, it seemed to James that Sirius tried to protect Remus from everything-his 'furry little problem', the discrimination of the wizarding world, the rumours of an upcoming war, the constant arguments between students of different blood statuses-even though he couldn't protect him from all that, not really, none of them could…But then James decided that he didn't want to think about things like that, not now, not when they were all feeling so happy this evening.

As Peter ran ahead of them all to go and talk to Alice and Marlene, James walked even closer to Remus and Sirius, just in time to see Remus kissing Sirius's neck.

"You two are adorable." The words were out of James's mouth before he could stop them. He blushed a bit, thinking about how the other Hogwarts students would probably mock him for saying something like that about his two male friends who were in a relationship, but he couldn't help what he thought. They  _were_ adorable together, and he would give anything to walk through Hogsmeade with Lily like that.

"Ah, Prongsy!" Sirius shouted out to him with a grin, and then he threw his other arm over James's shoulder, so that James and Sirius were now walking with their arms around one another while Remus held Sirius's hand, and Sirius started to mumble something about James being his  _best friend ever_ , apparently a little bit tipsy after a few too many Butterbeers.

Sometimes the other students mocked James and Sirius for how affectionate the two of them were with one another, but James didn't care. He thought back to first year, when Sirius had flinched at any sign of affection, and how James had taken slow steps, getting his best mate used to all the hugs and affectionate touches that were the norm in the Potter household. He wasn't about to stop all of that now, just because Sirius had a boyfriend.

* * *

The high spirits seemed to continue well into the night, as Remus and Sirius cuddled up in Sirius's bed in the dormitory, still laughing and joking as James and Peter attempted to get to sleep.

"You are my moon," James could just make out Sirius whispering to Remus after a little while.

"And you are my star," Remus replied to Sirius's romantic declaration, sounding a bit embarrassed. Remus had never been very good at sharing his feelings.

"Yeah, yeah, and you two are madly in love, we get it! Now be quiet so we can all get some sleep!" James shouted out from his bed, smirking a little as he heard Peter laughing appreciatively at his joke.

* * *

"Prongs, you prat!"

As a few students around him jumped at the loud words, James looked over his shoulder and saw that Sirius had followed him out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall.

He shook his head a little, wondering what he'd done now. They'd just enjoyed a relatively peaceful breakfast without any arguments, with all of them helping themselves to large portions of food and talking about their visit to Hogsmeade yesterday as Remus and Sirius discreetly tried to hold hands under the table, hidden from the curious stares of other students.

James had just been planning to take a walk in the grounds to clear his head before the upcoming match, maybe even fetch his broom and get in some extra practice, before Sirius had cut him off by calling him a prat.

Sirius ran towards him across the Entrance Hall, only slowing down when Professor McGonagall suddenly walked past him.

"Minnie! Looking lovely today, as always!" Sirius called out to her as she passed, trying to be his usual charming self.

Professor McGonagall glared at him, but James was sure that there was a hint of a smile on her face when she turned away.

"I can't  _believe_  what you said last night, Jamesey!" Sirius muttered urgently to him the second he approached.

James frowned at him in confusion. He was about to say that he said a lot of ridiculous things, and Sirius would therefore have to be more specific, but then his best mate started talking again.

"Moony and I haven't done the whole 'saying I love you' thing yet," he explained, "and now that you've gone and shouted out about how in love we are across the dormitory, I'll have to tell him I love him directly, and soon!"

There was a hint of panic in Sirius's voice, and James quickly deduced that this was not because he didn't feel that way about Moony, but it was in fact because he was really nervous about putting his feelings into words; or maybe he just wanted to make sure that the moment was perfect.

"I can help you!" James suddenly shouted out, the words out of his mouth again before he could think things through.

Sirius looked a bit skeptical. " _You_ want to help? With something like that, between me and Moony?"

"Why not?" James asked him, his enthusiasm growing with each passing moment. "I can help you plan something really romantic!"

Sirius still looked rather doubtful.

"Look, Pads, I've been there through it all!" James insisted, thinking of how he'd helped resolve Sirius and Remus's major argument in fifth year, even clearing everyone out of the common room at the time, telling them that things would be awkward enough without everyone watching; how they'd both confided in him when they first started having feelings for one another; how he'd helped Sirius to ask Remus out for the first time; how he'd advised Remus on his first kiss. Why  _shouldn't_ he be involved now?

"Oh, all right, then," Sirius grinned, apparently forgetting that he was supposed to be annoyed with James after last night.

The two of them started to head out into the grounds, already making plans for Sirius's first declaration of love to Remus, with James's plans for extra Quidditch practice temporarily put on hold.

James was only distracted when Lily Evans hurried past them.

"Looking lovely today, Evans!" James called out to her, taking inspiration from Sirius.

"Shut it, Potter!" Lily snapped back at him, sounding as annoyed with him as ever.

He  _knew_ it had been a mistake to attempt to flirt with her yesterday evening when he'd been walking back to the castle from Hogsmeade with Sirius and Remus, heavily under the influence of Butterbeer, and she had walked past him. Merlin knew what he'd said to her. Oh well, he would have to deal with that later.

"Love you, too, Evans!" James shouted to her retreating back, with a grin on his face.

* * *

James couldn't help the nerves that seemed to flow through his body as the final Quidditch practice before the upcoming match came to an end.

Throughout today's training session, he'd managed to channel the nerves into adrenaline, using the extra burst of energy to score as many goals as possible, but now that the session was over, the blind panic was starting to creep back in.

Trying to distract himself, James's eyes were drawn to the small crowd of Gryffindors who'd gathered to watch the practice session.

Remus and Sirius were sitting huddled together in the stands, right behind the goal hoops, both of them wrapped up in cloaks (with Remus's looking rather shabby in contrast to Sirius's choice of designer cloak), and Gryffindor scarves draped around their necks. Remus seemed to have conjured up some sort of blue-coloured flame to keep them both warm, and every few seconds, they moved closer and closer to this source of warmth, their hands and feet 'conveniently' coming into contact in the process as they shared the occasional grin.

Apparently, Sirius's declaration of love had gone down very well with Remus. With a smirk, James thought back to a couple of nights ago, when Sirius had waited until the common room was fully empty at midnight before he attempted to tell Remus that he loved him.

James had sat a bit further away from them in the common room, ready to provide 'moral support' and practically shoveling handfuls of Every Flavour Beans into his mouth, barely even taking in all of the different flavours as he watched the scene play out in barely disguised fascination.

He'd watched as Sirius had uncharacteristically blushed and stumbled over his words (something that James and Peter would probably mock him for, at some point in the near future, when they had all got over how adorable the moment had been), and then Remus had asked, "Sirius, is everything all right?" with an obvious expression of concern, assuming the worst, as Moony tended to do.

"He said he loves you, you idiot!" James had been unable to resist shouting out, around his mouthful of beans...

With another affectionate smile, James snapped out of his daydream and turned his attention to Lily Evans, who was also sitting in the stands today. Surprisingly, she was here on her own, without Marlene or Alice sitting next to her, and James couldn't help wondering  _why_  she'd chosen to be here today.

Reminding himself of his duty as team captain, James landed on the icy ground and dismounted his broom. He gathered the team around for a pep talk, and then they all wished each other good luck for the match on Saturday before they started to head towards the changing rooms.

James hung back, choosing to remain on the pitch for a little bit longer. He looked up again at Remus and Sirius, who were still sitting in the stands with their arms around one another, looking like the happiest couple in the wizarding world.

"Why can't I have a relationship like theirs?" James asked no one in particular.

"You know, James-"

James jumped a little as he turned around and realised that Lily Evans had snuck up on him again.

"-all it takes is a little bit of practice," she finished, in a surprisingly good imitation of Remus's voice.

With that, she smiled at him and started to head away from the Quidditch pitch, leaving a very flustered James to look back up at Remus and Sirius, who were currently smirking at him from behind the goal hoops.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Goals Fanart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16244468) by [CathyM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CathyM/pseuds/CathyM)




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